By refusing to join other clothing retailers in a binding agreement to protect Bangladeshi workers, more than 1,200 of whom have died in factory fires and collapses in recent months, Gap is saying: You and I, we’re not the same; I don’t hear your voice or want to know your name.

H&M and Inditex, both among the world’s largest apparel companies, and 36 other American and European firms signed the pact requiring them to finance rigorous safety inspections and repairs over five years. They jointly took responsibility for trying to ensure safety and decency for workers in the factories sewing the clothes on which they profit. Because we are all the same and all deserve respect at work, Gap, Walmart and other major apparel firms must join them in fulfilling their ethical obligations. And at the same time, the European Union and United States must suspend Bangladesh’s duty-free access to Western markets until it increases its minimum wage and guarantees internationally recognized rights to workers.

But giants Gap and Walmart refused. They said they’d go it alone. In other words, don’t expect much from them. Gap, which owns the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy stores, promised $22 million in loans for repairs to the 78 Bangladeshi factories it uses. That is $22 million in loans – from a corporation that made $333 million in profits in the first three months of this year alone.

This is Gap saying, yeah, they buy garments from Bangladeshi vendors, but Gap is not responsible for the blood of crushed workers on the clothes. That’s like the guy who buys a watch off the arm of a street hustler then claims he’s not responsible for receiving stolen property because it was the vendor, not him, who beat and robbed the watchmaker.

At first blush, Gap’s and Walmart’s promises sound decent. The problem is that they’re not binding and not transparent. They claim they’re going to do stuff, but the Joint Memorandum requires signatories to actually accomplish goals. In addition, the Joint Memorandum mandates public reporting. After a factory is inspected, the results are to be released.

Gap could inspect a sweatshop, find it unsafe, pocket the report and move its work to a different factory, maybe one a European retailer already paid to upgrade. That would leave the original workers still imperiled. And unaware.

Even if Gap, Walmart and other major retailers eventually sign on, not all of Bangladesh’s factories will be inspected and improved. So workers themselves must be empowered. They must be legally entitled to form unions so they can protect each other and stand up to reckless bosses.

It should be the opposite. A government should represent its people, not the interests of foreign apparel retailers. Until the Bangladeshi government gives workers the right to organize and collectively bargain for decent wages and health and safety improvements, the EU and United States should suspend its special trade status.

Bangladeshi, American and European workers are the same. We live and die together. When giant retailers shirk their responsibility to protect workers from unnecessary dangers, they are guilty of receiving bloody property.

Recent Stories by Leo Gerard

Thousands of civil society groups coalesced to combat the TPP. The battle engaged slowly with objections to the secret negotiations. Protests grew exponentially. It was the concerted action of many, like the fire ant, that killed the TPP.

As the steel industry collapsed in the 1990s, I found some lawmakers true to their word. Hillary Clinton was one. She never let workers down. Steel is in crisis again. I want a President I know I can trust to help workers. That is Clinton.

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About Leo Gerard

Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW), took office in 2001 after the retirement of former president George Becker.